A Few Concerns With My Ball Python

[calliebobally]

Hey everyone! I am a new owner of a female ball python. Her name is Siddalee (Sid). I am thinking by her length and weight that she is a little over a month old. I did a lot of research before purchasing her, even on this forum! So helpful! I have a few concerns, however and if anyone could help me that would be fantastic.

I bought her from a pet store. I know this is a big no no and I will never do it again as they misinformed me about a lot of things that I had luckily already educated myself on. Me and my husband went there to look around for hedgehogs, and against my better judgment I just HAD to see the ball pythons and fell in love with my little girl. The second I picked her up she wrapped herself around me and looked right at me. She is very friendly. Not once has she hissed or strikes at either of us. I will try to be as informative as possible.

Tank details:
I currently have her in a glass terrarium with one hide on her cool side (ground temp is at 75° but I cannot get the air temp to stay regular. It fluctuates between 75°-just over 80°) middle ground temp is usually at 80° and her hot side with her other hide fluctuates between 90°-95°. Air temps on the hot side fluctuate between 80-90°. My major issue originally was her humidity. (I live in NM and it's winter so temperature and humidity has been a challenge) so I decided to cover the middle of her terrarium with a wet towel on and off, I mist the cage daily and bought a humidifier which has been a saving grace and now I can usually keep her humidity between 50-65%, sometimes higher. I also bought at UTH after struggling with keeping temps up. Now, the other day the UTH skyrocketed to 118° at ground temp and I managed to cool it down after a minor freakout. But after I did this, she became very odd when I took her out to handle her at night. I could touch her head and she wouldn't flinch. She was ice cold. So I made a trip to the vet and they were able to warm her up, did a few respitory xrays and everything came out normal. It was a bad night of me feeling like a terrible mother and I went home and worked on her temps. They are back to normal. However, I am having trouble getting her heating pad to cool, and eventually I got so frustrated that today I turned it off and her ground temp is still high on this side at 99°!! I have heard about dimmers, and I'm wondering if I should purchase one. The UTH sticks to the bottom of the terrarium.
So today, I have been checking on her a lot after last night's scare. Noticed she was roaming way more than usual. I know this means one of two things. 1. She's too hot within her enclosure 2. She's hungry. Well, I fed her last Thursday and have been instructed to feed her every 7-10 days. But with her roaming, I decided to feed her again. Man....I didn't even get her food to her within her closure and she grabbed it right out of the tongs, and has happily made her way into her hide on the hotside and has remained there for about two hours now. Can anyone suggest the proper amount of times I should feed her now? She seems a lot happier but I am still concerned with my temperatures.
Extra info: she is kept in our bedroom. Little traffic. No drafts. Our apartment stays between 72°-77° 24/7. She is very active at night. I have seen her drink. But I have noticed her tilting her head upwards a lot today. I know it can't be an RI since I just took her to the vet. Hey also told me she has perfect scales and no other issues. She just got too cold and lethargic...and I don't know WHY.

So, just a few concerns with my temp and her behavior after last night's scare. Any tips or suggestions are welcome. Thank you!

[dr del]

Hi,

I aim to feed youngsters every 5-7 days and keep my adults on every 7 days. I do however never feed anything larger than a small rat as I find mine go on less fasts that way.

[thejennabird]

Your story is a good example of why thermostats are necessary. Thermostats regulate the temperature of your UTH and prevent it from getting too hot. Unlike a dimmer (which you must check and turn the dial manually), a thermostat regulates the UTH automatically. An inexpensive option is a hydrofarm, and a high end very reliable model is the herpstat. You could get a dimmer in the meantime, but because they're inconvenient I don't feel they're a great long-term solution.

I also agree with Dr Del that young snakes can be fed more frequently than once a week, as often as every 3-5 days.

[calliebobally]

Also would like to add that I am new to the forums and I hope I posted this in the correct area. I am on my phone as well, so I am limited with my posts.
• her sex was determined last night by the vet, the pet store was unsure when I got her.
• her breathing was a little high with her heart rate which he told me should be some what undetectable? (Could be stress from transporting her to the vet.)
• I limit my handling as much as possible since she is new to her environment. She has been with us for almost 3 weeks now.
• I feed her pre-killed after being advised by a dear friend who owns over 15 snakes that live can carry disease and may even harm her. The pet store that I got her from fed live. She has had no issues with eating.

[calliebobally]

I have a thermostat with a probe that measures ground temps and another that measures the air. Is this thermostat something that actually attaches to the UTH?

[calliebobally]

Hi,

I aim to feed youngsters every 5-7 days and keep my adults on every 7 days. I do however never feed anything larger than a small rat as I find mine go on less fasts that way.

Thank you!!! She is still on the pinky mice. The itty bitty babies.

[thejennabird]

Yes, a thermostat is a different thing from a thermometer. A thermometer only measures temperatures, a thermostat regulates power to a device (like a UTH) based on temperatures. A thermostat will have its own built in temperature probe (similar to the one your thermometer has). That probe measures the temperature of your UTH and tells the thermostat whether to turn it up/down (or on/off). It can be a confusing concept, but they're two different and useful things!

Also, I just noticed you say you're feeding her pinky mice. That seems a little small to me. Most breeders say even their freshly hatched pythons are eating larger prey that that. The general rule is to feed your snake something that is as or slightly wider than the widest point of your snake. I'd bet your snake is definitely wider than a pinky mouse!

[calliebobally]

Your story is a good example of why thermostats are necessary. Thermostats regulate the temperature of your UTH and prevent it from getting too hot. Unlike a dimmer (which you must check and turn the dial manually), a thermostat regulates the UTH automatically. An inexpensive option is a hydrofarm, and a high end very reliable model is the herpstat. You could get a dimmer in the meantime, but because they're inconvenient I don't feel they're a great long-term solution.

I also agree with Dr Del that young snakes can be fed more frequently than once a week, as often as every 3-5 days.

So this is a thermostat that directly attaches to the UTH?

[dr del]

I'd move her up to half grown mice. I start on those right after the first shed.

And yes a thermostat regulates the temperature. They are probably the best investment in your snakes enclosure you can make.

[kaitala]

You certainly can use a lamp dimmer. It's basically an extension cord with a slider that adjusts how much power goes to your heat pad. More power, higher temp. You'll need a separate thermometer to monitor temps.

You could also use a programmable thermo/rheostat. We have rancos and herpstats, and like them both.